DeWitt girl gets wish to meet TV's Rachael Ray next week
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By Steven Martens | Friday, February 15, 2008 |
Réchel Foster 14, of DeWitt, Iowa, will be going to New York on Feb. 11 with a group from the Make-A-Wish Foundation to attend a taping of the Rachael Ray Show. Foster, at home with her dog Opie, has Costello Syndrome, a rare condition.(Elisa Petersen/Quad-City Times) Buy this Photo
DeWITT, Iowa — Réchal Foster absolutely loves food.
Considering she spent the first 18 months of her life being fed through a tube, her mother, Julia Foster, finds that quite amazing.
While other children watch cartoons, Réchal watches The Food Network and enjoys chefs such as Paula Deen, Emeril Lagasse and, especially, Rachael Ray.
Réchal will get a chance to meet Ray next week when she travels to New York to attend a taping of Ray’s syndicated daytime talk show, “The Rachael Ray Show,” courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The Fosters, accompanied by Julia’s sister, will leave Monday for New York and return Thursday after attending a taping of the show Tuesday. They will learn the air date for the show, which airs at 2 p.m. weekdays on KWQC-TV, when they get to New York.
Réchal, 14, is one of fewer than 200 people in the world who have been diagnosed with Costello Syndrome, a condition with complications that include difficulty gaining weight, short stature, heart defects, mental retardation, osteoporosis, scoliosis and a higher than average rate of cancer.
Foster said Réchal, a seventh-grader at Central Community Middle School in DeWitt, started watching Ray when she appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” and became a fan partly because of her own love for food, Ray’s infectious smile and the fact that they shared the same first name.
“She watched her all the time,” Foster said.
A few years ago, a DVD of Ray’s “30-Minute Meals” show was Réchal’s favorite Christmas present, her mother said.
Réchal enjoys making Ray’s recipes with her mom.
“I like her cooking,” Réchal said.
Foster said the Make-A-Wish Foundation has been working for about two years on Réchal’s wish, which originally included going to a taping of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” when Ray was the guest. But when Ray got her own daytime talk show, the focus of Réchal’s wish shifted to Ray.
Foster was told about a month ago that Réchal’s wish would be granted and remembers telling her daughter.
“Oh, my God, if I could have had a camera at that moment,” Foster said. “She was dancing all through the house.”
Traveling by plane is not easy for Réchal. Foster recalled a trip to Delaware for a Costello Syndrome conference during which Réchal vomited during the entire plane ride and missed much of the conference because she was too sick.
Because Costello Syndrome is so rare, Réchal was 6 years old before she was diagnosed. Her mother said Réchal is an active and energetic child who enjoys playing outside.
“Réchal has pain when she’s playing, but she wants to be like the other kids,” she said.
Foster said her daughter needs to stay active to maintain her health, but she is often in pain at night after being active all day.
“She’s on pain medication all the time,” she said.
Foster said while getting Réchal to New York will be a challenge, the smile she knows will be on her daughter’s face will be worth it.
“It’s just as much a wish come true for me as it is for her,” Foster said.
Steven Martens can be contacted at (563) 659-2595 or smartens@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
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